Welcome to week 6 of The Stress Less Holiday Challenge! This week, we’ll explore ways to spread holiday cheer without breaking the bank. Let’s talk presents. Gift-giving is often a huge source of stress during the holiday season. Not only do we have to worry about finding the “perfect” gift for family, friends, and neighbors, [...]

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Feeling stressed and rundown? Eat for better energy, exercise regularly, find time for relaxation…and don’t forget to laugh more. In fact, laughter has been proven to be an effective method of coping with stress. According to the Mayo Clinic, laugher has many health benefits: Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical [...]

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The holidays are often a time of love and celebration with those dearest to our hearts, but these moments can also bring up plenty of stress and emotional turmoil. At least speaking for myself, the holidays are a confusing time in this regard. I often feel conflicted about not wanting to see certain people, but [...]

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It’s party season, and we’re all for lots of fun and festivities, but holidays can push buttons. For many in the recovery community and for those who want to get clean and sober, holidays can be unsettling. Heightened expectations, rich food and drink, and late nights are a dizzying mix, and a relapse can be [...]

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Welcome to week one of the Stress Less Holiday Challenge! If you haven’t already registered, sign up now to have recipes, workouts, and articles emailed to you for the next eight weeks. We’re going to make the most of the holidays together! Last year I wrote about how traditions can reduce stress by taking us [...]

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I love the holidays, but I do get anxious as I think about how quickly they’re approaching. While it might be “normal” to feel stressed from November until New Year’s, it can also be shockingly bad for you. Here’s why: Central Nervous System – When our central nervous system fails to go back to normal [...]

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“For breath is life, and if you breathe well, you will live long on earth.” – Sanskrit Proverb Whether you practice yoga daily or have just taken your first yoga class, you’ve probably noticed some benefits – relaxed state of mind, better sleep, or more energy. Although we are still learning and measuring yoga’s benefits, [...]

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Flu shots — get your flu shots! Influenza is on its way, and while washing your hands and being active will help you stay healthy, the best way to evade the virus is to get vaccinated. But please, don’t bother burning any of your hard-earned bucks. The UW Benefits Office is hosting free flu shot clinics [...]

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You may think that it is too early to start thinking about influenza, but UW Medicine wants to make sure that all of our patients, staff, and faculty are prepared well before the season starts. There are bunch of things we can do to stop influenza. The first thing is to not get infected in [...]

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I’ll admit it. I’m sort of a gumby. Most consider flexibility to be an asset or goal in yoga. I did too, until I encountered poses like handstand or fully extended side plank. I wondered why I would go from super-yogi to a puddle of mush in one transition. My natural ability to coax my [...]

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For an employee, a workplace wellness program might seem like a nice perk. But doctors in the UW School of Medicine believe it’s much more than that. “An emphasis on wellness is a must-have, not a nice-to-have,” said Norman Beauchamp, head of the Department of Radiology. In 2012, Dr. Beauchamp helped launch the School of [...]

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For 25 years, Brenda Rodgers had driven to work. It was the only commute she’d ever known. She drove to work when she lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, and she continued to drive after she moved near Seattle. After she started working at UW Medicine as a senior project manager this summer – [...]

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